How do your club deal with Ice Time and Coaches Fees?

[PhysicsOnIce]

This is the key and it's not kosher.  I wonder why they set it up that way.  But you're very right that things need to change, if for no other reason than a very bad accident can, and eventually will occur.

How is the Belgian system different from the French system?  I'm curious.  But even if you can't get them to institute the US style of private lessons (do you have enough coaches so that all the skaters wanting them can get them?  Or will one or two wealthy skaters dominate the coaches' time, if it becomes a financial-based competition for lessons?).

Mainly they set it up that way because we don't have enough ice time (or at least that's what I think). I am not sure what is the official reason. I actually sat down yesterday and spent a good 6 hours reworking the training plan, and managed to increase the training time for all skaters and include an extra speciality class for each level, by simply adding 4 hours a week and restructuring into a level specific training schedule. The plan I came up with is actually a win-win-win situation because it would convert two of the public sessions that are not used at all into club ice, letting the rink more money, while not costing the club nor the skaters much more than what we actually pay now and each level would actually between 1 to 3 hours per week of extra training. (I guess there is a reason why I did my master thesis on resource optimization).  I've submitted to my coach for review today, and hopefully will be having a talk with her this week about it.

As for the Belgian versus French system? Our coaches are independent contractors that the club, a non profit organization, allows to teach students on the ice the club has purchased, using membership fee. However, the club does not pay the coaches. They simply handle the billing and pass on the complete payment to the coaches. We use fundraisers like the beginning and end of the year Gala to well with the expenses of running the club, but the club essentially is not allowed to make money, nor pay anyone.  So, essentially what they do is to handle the billing, but pass on the whole payment to the coaches.

[Query]

Anyway, maybe it's those Viking (descended) genes.

Most Russians aren't descended from the Vikings. They based themselves around the North Sea.

I was kidding! Sorry I didn't use a smiley to clarify.

I will say that most Russian born skating coaches in the U.S. that I have met, have adapted extremely well to the U.S. system.

Some might disagree, but I think U.S. style group lessons are mostly babysitting (especially below USFS BS 4 and ISI FS 2) partly because the ISI and USFS both say that the purpose and judging of group lessons is to make things FUN , not to be picky about details. In addition, many American coaches only teach group lessons for the purpose of recruiting private students, or because a rink forces them to.

I've actually taken several group lessons outside the ISI/USFS syllabi which did better at teaching skills in a serious manner. They were a lot more fun for me. But it didn't hurt that I was taking private lessons from some of the same coaches.

Can it really be true that even the top European and Russian skaters (including those who study in the U.S.?) NEVER take private lessons?